Young was booked and admonished by his manager, David Moyes, for trying to con referee Jon Moss, who will not referee a Premier League game this weekend.

Ferdinand, however, said that although there was merit to the indignation when players hit the deck too easily, in other countries it is not frowned upon as much.

“If it’s going to happen it’s got to happen across the board, not just in our league,” Ferdinand said. “It’s got to happen across Europe, because, for instance, you go in the Champions League and we’re being told in the Premier League you’re not meant to dive and so on.

“Then you go in the Champions League and you’ve got to face certain countries who are simulating. So it’s difficult, and obviously as a defender you don’t want players trying to con the referee.

"I think if there’s contact, then in today’s game a player has got the right to appreciate the fact he has been contacted and maybe go down. That’s what happens nowadays.

“It’s become part of our game and as defenders we’re used to it and so you’ve got to defend a little bit more with your head.

"You have to think about how you can combat the forward because they’re cute and they know how to do this stuff. So it’s difficult.

"It’s difficult for a referee to look at a situation and say: ‘Yes he dived or no he didn’t or there was contact.’ So retrospective viewing and punishments may be the way to go.”

Moyes has long favoured post-match video evidence to punish offenders, which explains his hard line stance on Young.

“I can never be sure it won’t happen again. But I have had a word with him privately,” he said.

“I said after the game and it’s something I’ve said for many years, that we should have retrospective video action for diving.

"That would help referees no end. It’s really difficult at times. My view hasn’t changed from when I was at Everton to where I am now at Manchester United.

“We can make up all the things we like about punishment, but the rules are there. The referees have got the rules they have to abide by. The referee on Saturday did what he had to do and gave him [Young] a yellow card.”

Parish said: “If preventing a goalscoring opportunity is a straight red then trying to create one by cheating should be a straight red also.”

“Ashley Young’s dive and the appeal before put pressure on the ref to give a subsequent penalty that was certainly outside the area and probably wasn’t even a foul.

"Ashley Young has a yellow card and three points and we have no points and one less player to pick from for the next game.

"Might have cost us a point that might keep us up. Need to get some momentum behind a straight red for a dive.”

The Professional Game Match Officials’ Board (PGMO) has made referee Moss fourth official for the fixture between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield on Saturday.

It is understood that Moss has not been demoted and that the selection of matches this weekend was simply part of the normal rotation of officials.